Hunt
by Keshi-sama
Summary: An alley hunter is on the lookout for new prey. Thought of after submitting a response to the Who Would You Kill? question by oppdis. Keep in mind that I will probably never finish this.
1. Prologue

HUNT

Prologue

Shouta stood in a dark alley in Tokyo, waiting for someone to pass. He had yet to please his schedule tonight, and he needed to hurry before time was up. The man had been there for a few hours now, and not a single acceptable target had been revealed.

He would wait. The next would be his victim.

* * *

Tomo walked down one of the many sidewalks in Tokyo. It was getting late, and she had to get home or else there would be hell on earth at her house. She yawned as she turned the corner onto the road to her house.

* * *

Shouta watched as a young teenaged girl turned onto the road he waited by. She seemed like a good target. He moved a bit closer to the road. The girl approached his hiding spot quickly. He watched as she stepped before his alley.

* * *

Tomo continued on her way down the dark street. She heard something move in one of the alleys as she got near it. _'Just a cat,'_ she thought, not even glancing in its direction. She stretched her arms above her head as she passed the alley by.

* * *

Shouta stepped quietly out of the alley behind the girl as she passed his spot. He pulled a small wet rag from behind his back. The girl must have heard him leave the alley, as she stopped and turned to face him.

He grabbed her shoulder and jammed the rag over her nose and mouth before she could respond. She stooped moving instantly and fell forward. Shouta caught her, flung her over his shoulder, and walked off into the alley to his 'lair'. _'Such an easy catch,'_ he thought a he stepped into the alley.

* * *

_Keshi-sama: So it begins. This story should be updated more often than Cycle of the Star. Reviews are welcome._


	2. Chapter 1

HUNT

Chapter 1

Tomo blinked as her vision began to clear. She looked around drowsily to see where she was. Her eyes instantly snapped open as she saw. She was in an abandoned metal factory, darkness surrounding her. She was strapped to a metal table, completely unable to move. She willed her arms up against the bonds, with no effect.

"Hehehehehehe…." Tomo's head immediately twisted to where the laugh had come from. A man, seemingly in his middle twenties, stepped into the little light that illuminated Tomo. "A little fly, caught in my web. What to do? What to do?" he sang as he walked towards her. "What the hell do you want!?" she yelled at the man.

"Oh, poor fly, caught in my web. Doesn't know what's happening. All the spider wants is to live," he sang as he ran one of his hands up her arm. Tomo shivered as she tried to pull her arm back, once again without effect. The man laughed again as he walked back into the darkness. "The fly can wait. The spider will be back," he sang again as he disappeared.

Tomo shivered again as she watched him go. She started to wonder what was going to happen to her when she heard the singing again. "Little fly, caught in my web. Mine for fun. Mine for killing," she heard. The wildcat froze. Mine for killing. This man was going to kill her. Her breath increased rapidly as adrenaline surged through her system.

The man hummed as her walked back into the light, carrying a small box. He laid it down on a little table next to her and opened it. Tomo raged against her bonds, trying to break them. The man laughed as he watched her futile attempts to free herself. "The little fly is resisting. The little fly is stuck," he sang as he pulled out smaller bonds and tied her hands to the table she was laying on.

He leaned over her and said, "The fly must know who it is who is the spider. The spider is called Shouta." Shouta leaned back and reached into the box once more. This time he pulled out several needles and a bottle of lemon juice. He poured the lemon juice into a cup and dipped the needles in it. "Tell me, have you ever felt how painful it is when you get lemon juice in an open cut?" he asked as he pointed one of the needles at her arm. "It is quite painful, truly."

Shouta pricked her arm with the needle, getting a surprised yelp from his captive. "Let me go, you bastard!" yelled Tomo, once again trying to force her way free. The man laughed as he pushed the needle into her arm completely. Tomo screamed as he began to stab the rest of the needles into the arms and legs. Shouta reached back into the box after he had run out of needles. Sweat covered Tomo's body as she brought in deep, strained breaths.

Her captor brought out a knife this time. The girl's eyes widened as she saw this new tool of pain. She pushed against the bonds again, earning nothing but another laugh from the torturer. He made several cuts up and down Tomo's arms and legs, in between the needles. Her blood leaked out in small beads onto the knife, dripping onto the floor. Once he finished cutting her, he placed the knife back in the box.

Tomo shook with anger and fear. Pain also shook her. Shouta smiled as he leaned back, watching the expression on her face before leaning forward again. "It is such a thrilling sensation, to have the power over the life or death of a human being," he said as he reached into the box again, this time pulling out a wooden rod. He raised it to a deep cut on her left shoulder and pressed into it. Tomo tried to bite back a scream, but failed.

Shouta smiled again as her screams filled the air around him. After awhile, he put the rod back, drawing the knife once more. He cut her shirt with it, and made small cut on her stomach while doing so. The wildcat let tears of pain and fear run down her face as the man placed the knife right below her stomach. She screamed more than ever when he inserted the knife into her body completely, letting a large amount of her blood to pool freely on the floor.

He laughed as he pulled the knife out. "Pain is one of humanity's greatest sensations. It tells the body when harm is being done. It tells the body about danger. It also tells the body when the end for it is near," he said as he caught some of Tomo's blood on the knife. "Pain can be someone's greatest enemy. But it can also be their ally. Pain gives a person advantage over another, using it as a threat. It can also be used to bring pleasure," as he said this, he licked the blood that stained his knife off. "My use for it is pleasure, as the screams of the dying are sweet to my ears. Their pleas for mercy pleasurable to my senses."

He walked around the table still holding the knife, the pained stare of Tomo watching him. "You shall be the one who brings my pleasure tonight, girl," he said with a menacing smile as he stabbed her on the other side of her body in the same place. She screamed again as he did this. She could feel death coming for her in great leaping strides. "Tell me, what is your name?" he asked her. She spat with what little energy she had. He just laughed and said, "Never mind then. I can find out with an ID match." Shouta smiled as he raised the knife to her chest. "You are going to die soon. Please grace me with some last pain before you do."

He stabbed down with the knife, piercing her lung and painting her chest red with blood. She couldn't breathe. What air she could manage to take in leaked back out in a second. Tomo lay there, no longer to scream in her pain. Shouta stood over her with a satisfied smile as she died slowly and painfully. He had kept his schedule. The man turned and walked back into the darkness.

_Keshi-sama: Bloody. Next chapter will be about how the girls respond. Reviews are welcome!_


	3. Chapter 2

Hunt

Chapter 2

Detective Kasura Ryu sat at his desk, filling out a stack of paper work that had gathered over the past week. Finished cases involving murders, robberies, and missing persons. He sighed as he finished his last paper, placing it in the 'filled out' tray on his desk.

As he reached for his coffee cup sitting on his desk, he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," he called as he picked up his cup and took a drink from it. The door opened after he said this, allowing Detective Harata Moriko to walk in, holding a packet. "We've got another one, Sir," said Ryu's junior.

He sat the coffee cup back down and propped his feet on his desk. "What is it, then?" he inquired of his partner. Moriko reached into the packet and pulled out several pictures. "At 11:23 last night, we received a call for a missing person." She showed him one of the pictures.

On it was a teenage girl flashing a 'victory' sign. Ryu sighed, "And I just finished everything, too... Ah well. Do we know who saw her last?" Moriko nodded, "Her parents said that she was heading back home from Mizuhara Yuu's residence."

Ryu grunted as he stood up from his chair. He scratched his chin as he said, "I think it may be one of Shouta's." Moriko looked at him with surprise. "How could we know if it's him or not? She's missing. It could mean any number of things, but don't go straight to the conclusion of murder."

The man shrugged, "Just putting in my thought." He straightened his tie and said, "Well, I guess we should start at Mizuhara-san's house." Moriko nodded, "When do we start?" Ryu took another drink from his coffee and replied, "Right now, if possible."

* * *

Yomi walked worriedly to school. They had gotten a call last night from the Takinos that Tomo had disappeared. She worried about what might have happened to her friend. Soon after they had been called, Yomi had done about calling the rest of her friends, telling them the news. 

She arrived at school in time to get everything before class. Her classroom was quieter than usual when she walked in. Everyone was doing what they did every morning, but without Tomo, the atmosphere was more peaceful.

Sakaki sat by the window, staring out it like usual, but with a more worried look. Chiyo and Osaka stood around Kagura's desk, talking quietly. Yomi walked up to them. All of their gazes changed to her.

"Ah'm sorry 'bout all this, Yomi-chan," Osaka said, with a genuine sad expression. "It will be OK, Yomi-san, It will!" Chiyo exclaimed, hugging Yomi tight. "We hope she's alright," Kagura said. Yomi nodded with a sad frown on her face, "Yeah, it's all gonna be alright."

Suddenly, the bell rang, and the class sat in their desks, excluding one Takino Tomo. The door burst open as Yukari stormed into the classroom and stopped at her desk.

"It's class time!" she yelled, looking around the room. The teacher saw the empty desk and asked, "Where's Takino-san?" The announcement speaker buzzed as it turned on. The principal's voice floated over the slight buzz. "Takino Tomo has become a missing person. She was reported to be so last night around 11:00. If anyone has any information as to her whereabouts, please report them to the police. That is all."

Yukari stood there for a while. "Well, that was a strangely timed answer," she said after a while. She looked around the room once more. "Well, Takino-san's missing, and if anyone has any information, please report it to the police. I need Tomo back in here. I'll go mad if I don't have anyone to annoy," she said. The teacher reached down and picked up her English book. "Let's begin."

* * *

Shouta stood in the abandoned metal factory. He was draining more of his victim's blood into a bottle. It was a habit, collecting their blood. He had done it so many times that he had to now. He pulled the bottle away from the bleeding girl and placed it in his special cabinet.

He had checked the internet for a matching picture of the girl he had killed. Her name was Takino Tomoko. She was 16 years old and had been a student in one of the local high schools. Shouta smirked. Some… investigation… had to be done.

* * *

Ryu and Moriko stepped out of Ryu's car, which had stopped in front of Mizuhara Yuu's house. The Detectives walked to the front door and pressed the door bell. After a while, they still had no response, Moriko leaned over to Ryu. "Do you think they're not home?"

As soon as she said this, the door opened, revealing a man that stood a head taller that Ryu. "What do you want?" he asked. "Mizuhara-san?" the man nodded, "We're here about Takino Tomoko. May we come in?"

Yuu nodded and walked back inside, the Detectives following him. When they got inside, Ryu began. "I am Detective Kasura Ryu, and this is Detective Harata Moriko. We heard that you were one of the last people to see Tomoko before she went missing."

Yuu nodded and said, "I was." Ryu walked around the room while saying, "We need any information as to what may have become of Tomoko." Yuu nodded again. "I'll help you anyway I can." He told the Detectives every detail about the evening before, all the way down to what they had for dinner.

Ryu walked up to the taller man and handed him a slip of paper. "Contact me if you discover anything else." He nodded and replied, "Alright." The two Detectives left soon after that with a quick goodbye.

As they left, Moriko turned her head to her senior, "Are you sure any of that helps?" Ryu shrugged, "Never count out any detail in a case."

* * *

Shouta hid in a patch of bushes near the school that Tomo had been a student at. He watched groups of students walk past, but they were not what held his interest. It was a group of girls talking with sad or worried expressions covering their faces.

_'They must be her friends,' _he thought, crawling through the bushed to climb out the side. He stood up outside the bushes, coming face-to-face with a strange man wearing a business-like suit and glasses.

The man stared at him, jaw hanging wide open with a nasty glare reflecting off his glasses. Shouta stared back at him, a slight irritation building. The man twitched, irritating Shouta even more.

Suddenly, the man's entire head flipped, his chin where his mouth had been just a second ago. Shouta jumped, nearly falling into the bush. "May I ask what you were doing?" the man questioned.

"May I ask what you are?" Shouta responded. The man's head twisted back upright with an amazing speed. "I'm the Classical Literature teacher at this school."

Shouta nodded, mentally grinning. He might be able to use this strange man. He pointed to the group of girls talking. "Could you tell me who those girls are?"

The man looked at them and said, "Gladly." He started pointing to each girl as he said their name. "Mizuhara Yomi, Sakaki Atsuko, Aida Kaorin-chan, Kagura Mei, Kasuga Ayumu, or 'Osaka', as we call her, and Mihama Chiyo. Why do you ask?"

Shouta began walking to the girls, saying, "That's my business, sir." He walked up to the girls, who turned their attention to him. "Hello girls. I am Detective Fujake Masaru. I'm part of the Takino Tomoko case. I need you to tell me whatever you know about what's happening."

* * *

_Keshi-sama: Ooooooh. Shouta might have a plan starting there. Reviews are welcome!_


	4. Chapter 3

Hunt

Chapter 3

_Keshi-sama: Before I start this chapter, I would just like to say welcome back to AR. It's good to see he's alright._

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any character of Azumanga Daioh.

* * *

Kimura watched the man walk away from him. That man was strange. The teacher adjusted his glasses as he started off.

* * *

Shouta stood in front of the girls. They didn't know much, which meant he was still clear. He nodded as one of the girls, Mizuhara Yomi, by the name the man had given her, finished her brief story. 

"Thank you," he said, walking off. "I'll be back for an update later." He smirked once he got enough distance between them. Tonight, his fun would continue.

* * *

The girls watched the Detective go. Soon, he was out of their sight. Osaka turned to Yomi. "There's somethin' weird about that guy," she said. Yomi nodded in agreement. 

The little group began walking further away from school, heading to the road. As they approached the exit, a car pulled up to the side of the road. Two people stepped out of it.

They walked up to the girls calmly. The man looked at them. "Could you please tell us where we might find Mizuhara Koyomi?" Yomi looked back at him. "I'm her." The man nodded. "I am Detective Kasura, and this is Detective Harata. We're the team on the Takino Tomoko case." Yomi stared at the two with a confused look. "I just talked to someone else on the case about her."

Detecive Kasura also gave a confused look. "Who would that be?" Yomi continued, still staring. "Detective Fujake Masaru." Realization hit the Detective's face. He nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry for taking your time, then. Be careful."

The two walked back to the car and got in. Chiyo watched until they got in the car before saying, "They have very strange people working on this." There was a series of agreements before the girls continued to their houses.

* * *

Ryu and Moriko shut the doors to the car. They sat there a while before Ryu said, "We need to keep an eye on those girls." Moriko looked at him. "Why?" Ryu turned his head to her. "Fujake Masaru died four years ago."

* * *

Shouta stood in the metal factory. He had come back here after talking to the girls. _'Tonight will be fun,'_ he thought, looking at his latest creation. Shouta laughed. His intelligence and effectiveness amazed even himself sometimes. 

He looked once more at his creation before leaving, grabbing a vial of liquid from his box. His computer had given him important information. His destination was the Kasuga household.

* * *

Osaka sat on the desk chair in her room, swirling it around and around. "Weeeeeee…" Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door. "Ayumu, you've got a visitor," her mother called through the door. Osaka stood up from the chair, saying, "Ah'll be right down." 

She walked to the door, yawned deeply, and walked through it. Soon, she was downstairs. A man stood in her front room, looking around at all the paintings hanging on the walls. Her mother was a painter, and she loved the paintings of historic painters. The man turned to look at her. He said, "Hello, Ayumu-san."

Osaka looked back at him. "Hello, Fujake-san." Detective Fujake walked to her and said, "I need to ask you a few questions. If you'd please come with me." He walked out the door. Osaka looked into the kitchen of her house, and saw her parents drinking some of their wine, imported strait from Italy. She walked out the door, catching up with the Detective.

They walked a distance from the house before stopping. Fujake turned to Osaka and smiled.

* * *

Shouta smiled. He had caught his next target already, and the girl's parents wouldn't remember him with the memory wiping poison that he had slipped in their wine before they had gotten her. Ayumu looked at him with wide, cloudy eyes. _'Oh my god, a space case,'_ he thought with a slight irritation. _'Oh well, at least she feels pain, and fear.'_

He turned again and began to lead her, saying, "Follow me." The two walked into a darker part of the city. They walked along twisting streets and winding sidewalks. Eventually, they entered a part of Tokyo that normal people could not see in. Shouta, however, had grown used to the darkness, and could see just fine. "We're almost there," he said to the girl behind him.

He led her to a large factory. He opened the door on the side of the building that they were on, saying, "In here. We can't risk being overheard at the station." They went in, the inside completely dark. Shouta shut the door as Ayumu entered, and locked it. Ayumu jumped. Shouta could see the surprise that the girl had. He smiled and fell deep into the shadows.

The girl looked around, saying, "Fujake-san?" Shouta began to laugh, scaring the girl. "What now, mouse?" He switched on the lights, revealing the girl to be in a maze. He also flipped another switched, making ropes pull up parts of the wall, placing them elsewhere in the maze. "The mouse hasn't seen this."

Shouta laughed again. "A maze that changes? How strange." Ayumu began to run, her eyes no longer with wonder, but fear. Shouta laughed again. "That Fujake. He's already dead. The mouse's captor isn't him. He is Shouta."

* * *

Osaka ran, fear already choking her like a shroud. No turns she made found her an exit. She heard mechanics whirr as the ropes pulled up again, moving parts of the wall again. 

She ran down a short stretch of maze. Above her, she heard a piece of wall go into position. She lunged forward as the wall snapped into the maze, cutting her off from the parts behind her.

Again, Osaka heard the man who wasn't Fujake laugh. "A cat has been released into the maze to hunt the mouse. What will the mouse do against the cat?" He laughed again , and she heard a slam as another piece of wall finally closed.

She turned another corner, walking now, but still quickly. This maze looked the same at all turns. She was what Shouta had called her; a mouse in a maze.

* * *

_ Keshi-sama: I apologize if this chapter sounded kind of stupid. I have a bit of trouble writing scenes with very little happening. Reviews are welcome!_


	5. Chapter 4

HUNT

Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any character of Azumanga Daioh.

* * *

Osaka ran through the ever-changing maze. _'Why is this happenin' to me?'_ she thought. Suddenly, the wall beside her slid upwards. She slid to a stop and looked down it. Seeing that the man wasn't there, she started running down it.

There had to be some way out of this place.

Turning a corner, Osaka slowed to catch her breath. As she stood there, she noticed that the gears weren't making noise anymore.

Looking up, she saw that the walls had stopped moving. She wondered about that as she started walking quietly down the hall.

It came to a dead-end, causing Osaka to turn and head back the way she had came. When she returned to the place that had opened, she discovered that that end had been closed off too.

A fear started to come over her. She really was trapped now.

* * *

Shouta smiled. That girl set off his trap.

He leaned up against one of the walls and smelled the air, breathing in the scent of the girl's fear. He could hear her as she tried hopelessly to climb the walls. "So easy," he whispered.

The man stood there for a while longer before standing back up and pulling a remote out of his pocket. He pressed a button on it and the wall in front of him rose.

The girl made so much noise that he could tell exactly where she was. Shouta just kept walking, opening walls as he came to them.

He could hear her getting closer. Not much time left.

The last wall slid up to reveal the girl. She screamed and tried to pass him. Shouta simply held his leg out, tripping the uncoordinated girl. She hit the floor face first, causing her to go unconscious.

"And here I thought I was going to get to play with you for a little while longer. Guess not," he said picking Osaka up over his shoulder.

Her pressed another button on the remote, causing the entire maze to rise. Shouta sat her down on his table and flipped off the lights.

* * *

Osaka awoke to the sounds of metal scraping together. She looked around, foggy eyes seeing nothing.

Suddenly, a sharp pain bit into her arm. Her body woke up immediately, and she looked down at her body. She screamed when she saw the metal chains holding her against the table.

"Good morning, mouse," said a voice next to her.

Osaka looked at him. Shouta sat in a chair sharpening two knives. A slash was made up her arm. The man held up one the knives, dripping blood.

"Time for my fun," he said, standing.

"Why are you doin' this?!" Osaka yelled in fear.

Shouta looked at her. "To bring myself pleasure. Why else would I?"

He stabbed the knife into her stomach.

Osaka's body attempted to shield itself, but it was held down by the chains. She couldn't talk from the pain, and blood began to leak from her mouth.

Shouta left the knife and sighed happily. He walked over to his tool box and retrieved a needle from it.

"I'm always open to experiments," he said as he injected to contents of the needle into her arm.

The pain began to dull shortly after.

Shouta stood and retrieved another item from his box, hiding it behind his back. He walked back to Osaka to see that his injection had taken effect. "Good... I wouldn't want you dieing on me for this," he said, pulling the small saw out from behind his back.

He brought it down on Osaka's arm. Osaka stared at it in terror, but she was still unable to talk, and she couldn't feel the pain as Shouta began to saw through her bone.

Blood flowed out of the open wound as Shouta pulled the saw back up. He looked down admiringly at the damage he had caused. The man picked up the disembodied arm and put it in a box to be incinerated.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. "It shouldn't, yet. Once it wears off, though, I'll be sure to make you feel that pain. He laid the saw down and sat, waiting for the injection to wear off.

Osaka tried to move her arm, but it was gone. She began to cry. She really was going to die. A dull throb could now be felt in her arm.

Shouta smiled as he saw the expression on her face. "It's starting to wear off."

He picked up the blood-soaked saw and walked back over to the helpless girl.

"Next..." he mumbled as he set the saw blade upon Osaka's right leg.

Her screams were never heard.

* * *

The next day, the remaining girls gathered in their homeroom. "Has anyone heard from Osaka?" Yomi asked. It was a unanimous "No". The bell rung, and the four took their seats. The room seemed... empty without Tomo and Osaka.

The door slid open, allowing a man that seemed in his mid-twenties to enter. He had short black hair, gray eyes, stood as tall as Sakaki, and wore a business suit.

He walked up to the chalk board and began to write. When he finished, it read 'Fujake Masaru'. The four girls immediately recognized this name, but said nothing.

Masaru stood behind the desk and cleared his throat. "Tanazaki-san is on leave for the week, so I will be your substitute."

Any who paid close enough attention could see the half smile on his face.

* * *

_Keshi-sama: There's something wrong with this story, I know. It's just... bleh. Well anyway, Shouta has become the girls' substitute teacher! Current Girl Count: 2 down, 4 to go. Reviews are welcome!_


End file.
